Cooperation key to transit issues

Published 1:15 pm, Monday, August 31, 2009

Rell and the five other New England governors on Monday declared that the central Connecticut route paralleling Interstate 91 is a key link in wider plans to revitalize the region's passenger rail network. This is part of a nationwide push by the Obama administration to once again make passenger rail a viable alternative to automobiles in our most highly trafficked areas.

The specific focus for now is on the link from New Haven to Springfield, Mass., by way of Hartford. The governor last week submitted a proposal to upgrade the 62-mile route and enable the state to begin faster-speed commuter service. More importantly, it would open the way for Amtrak to launch high-speed rail service in the region as part of its larger Boston-to-Washington Acela service.

The cost is enormous -- multiple billions of dollars just to begin. The benefits, though, should such projects be brought to fruition and linked into a single, comprehensive framework, are incalculable -- less time wasted in traffic; less gasoline consumed; a dent in pollution, and a decrease in greenhouse gas emissions; and a chance to once again make travel a pleasant experience.

The goal is far in the future. But the work must begin, and the situation will not improve on its own. There is no possibility of achieving the massive infrastructure investment necessary for alternative means of transportation without significant government backing.

We have an administration in Washington that shares these goals. The time to act is now.

Given the option, the New Haven-to-Springfield route might not be our first choice for a cash infusion. Metro-North's New Haven Line carries thousands of people daily, and is constantly in need of help. The Waterbury Line, as well, could benefit from increased attention and funding.

But this is about more than local concerns. This is about weaving Connecticut into a nationwide solution, and changing our transportation future.